The contestants were entertaining enough but The Voice is as much about the coaches, and their performances had been lacklustre. Tom Jones had stuck with his wearisome spiel: “You remind me of [insert musical legend here]… who I’ve sung with. And you’re from Doncaster? That’s not far from Wales.” will.i.am, whose oddball charisma saved the last two series, had been strangely subdued. And Ricky Wilson, having replaced Danny O’Donoghue and his incessant faffing – “Are you gonna go? I’ll go if you go. I might go. Are you gonna go?” – was good-natured but dull. Kylie had injected some sparkle, but not enough to save that bedecked lamb.

But this week, the gang finally found their stride. Kylie became court jester, performing a rain dance around her chair and rummaging in her handbag for contestant bribes; Will was back to his nonsensical best: “If I had to swim against Michael Phelps, I’d do it in the Jacuzzi.” And Tom's pitches became more thoughtful. But it was Ricky who really shone, turning his Average Joe credentials into self-effacing comedy. Tom may be able to introduce Will to Little Richard, but Ricky can hook him up with Victoria Wood.

It’s a good thing the coaches did find their groove because this week’s singers held little in the way of variety: pretty girls under thirty were the order of the night. There was Sarah Eden-Winn, whose big voice and safe sound made her a perfect fit for Tom but who opted for Will, providing the only shock of the show; 16-year-old Rachael O’Connor whose rugby-loving dad provided some much needed testosterone, roaring her on Twickenham-style from the green room. And gorgeous Jai McConnell who growled and squeaked her way through a quirky arrangement of Never Forget You by The Noisettes, winning over all four coaches – not to be confused with Jessica Steele who growled, squeaked, won over all four, etcetera.

There were the obligatory heart-warming failures, too, the most touching of which involved painfully nice Bunny, a 56-year-old accountant, whose falsetto was as sweet as his polite request to come down from the stage. And there was the first potential mistake of the series: Gemyni [sic], a pitchy pair of twin sisters who ended up with Kylie.

With another week gone and the teams only half full, the blind audition process is undoubtedly too long. But if the coaches can repeat tonight’s fun, I’ll happily sit through it all. The BBC’s risk might yet pay off.